I'm Susan — devout Francophile, mother of twins, writer, creative director, and aspiring author. I've been sharing my life here since 2010...thanks for reading!
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
Just like that…my babies are a year and a half old. They hit the 18 month mark on Monday, and we went out for a celebratory family dinner date. While waiting and watching for Daddy to come home from work I grabbed the camera and captured this moment. I love their smiles, especially Henry’s, blurred in the background. These are happy days indeed.
“A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014.”
We’re all feeling better and are finally ready to welcome 2014! So it begins…my very first 52 week project! I will be taking a portrait of our children each week, documenting their growth and capturing moments in time. It brings me so much joy to photograph them, even though at times it is very challenging (ahem, twins). My girly francophile heart nearly exploded seeing Marie in this outfit…it kills me, in the best kind of way. Henry could care less about fashion, but looked so handsome in his new trench. All he wanted to do was run down the driveway at a frightening (for mommy) speed. They are embracing toddlerhood in every sense of the word, and we are learning more about this crazy thing called parenting.
Yesterday was a perfect day. A most beautiful thick and fluffy snow began to fall late morning, and we happened to have a sunday with no plans…the best kind. As the snow accumulated, marie and henry napped, and mommy and daddy grew excitedly anxious. When they woke we explained something very magical had happened, and we raised the shades in their room as if we were revealing a prize. We lifted them onto the radiator cover to see for themselves…and their eyes lit up with curious wonder. I stepped back and took this shot with my iPhone, and it will be one we treasure always. We realized in that moment how giddy we were-to experience these firsts, along with them, is such a gift.
We did it!! Our first big road trip with the kids was a success-we made good time (8 hours), had minimal meltdowns, and enjoyed ourselves! Most importantly…we spent quality time with mr. fleurishing’s parents. Roanoke happens to be the perfect meeting point for us all (between PA + NC), and having visited Hotel Roanoke previously, we looked forward to our stay. Marie and Henry were so excited to finally give nana + poppy kisses after many FaceTime conversations, and bonded with them instantly. There were many sweet, tear-inducing moments, mixed with hilarity and of course, a few toddler meltdowns. We made a few excursions into downtown Roanoke, which is so quaint + charming-I especially loved the well preserved vintage signage. The southern hospitality was in full force…I had forgotten what it’s like to have strangers engage you in conversation! We headed home Monday…filled with love and a sense of accomplishment.
a few favs…hotel roanoke, taubman museum, appalachia press, and black dog salvage (more on that soon!)
